USA mixers suck - we need a "standard" tool
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  1. #1
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    Default USA mixers suck - we need a "standard" tool

    Part question, part rant

    Im a sound engineer, dj and musician...love music anyway I can get it. Im 39 and been DJing since 93ish... I understand the old school and the new school, I thought...

    Why do extra functions/routing on a DJ mixer have to come at a loss of sound quality? Why has sound quality gotten worse on DJ gear? Why aren't Djs demanding better quality equipment? Why do "house" mixers and "hip hop" mixers have to be so different?

    ...ok, I don't want the sound engineering explanation... "well, its all about schematics and electricity... no, no, no,...I blame us as DJs. We can't decide on a format (digital vs vinyl) and we definitely can't decide on a mixer to do that. Its our fault for not demanding better equipment for our needs - we not telling the manufactures what we want...

    the top three mixer companies in the usa keep giving us a new device every year. how could we create a standard with the industry changing what we use every 6 months. then we give into the marketing and buy it... if the mixer is that good (as good as they advertise) then we should be using it for at least 2/3 years.

    why are only the 1% of djs and clubs using HIGH QUALITY rotary knob mixers... why aren't the new digital mixers using the technology the of the old standards like bozak, urei, s and m, ars, etc... dj have leaned toward the digital format, making traveling with your music much easier, but we are way past mp3 days - 24 bit should be the norm for digital, we have the hard drive space... but still we got djs ripping youtube and playing it out - WTF

    at this point digital and vinyl will live together, but damn, can we get digital to sound better - can you digital djs stop ripping low quality material please???

    in the past when the big divide was vinyl vs cdc, we worked it out - clubs now stock both as standards... but can you digital guys decide on a universal controller ???!!!??? or at least can we get it down to just a couple...? and rip the sound quality better...i pity the fool

    now lets be real here, the mixers we use in the usa are crap. pioneer sounds thin, transparent, brittle... since rane went serato, there preamps went to hell... allen and heath does a good job with sound, considering they use faders and not pots, there effects on the db4 are awesome sounding... but us usa djs keep telling clubs to buy pioneer - can't we just admit that these pioneers sound like crap and move on....

    so you want great sound quality, go buy a rotary for 5 grand (house mixer) (worth every penny)... but if you cut, scratch, juggle - forget it... you sound great, but no new transformer pattern for the kids to hear tonight... now i know if you use linear faders instead of pots, you lose sound quality - but allen heath still does a decent job. every hip hop mixer has the awesome optical fades, but they don't sound that good...

    when we starting over routing mixers boards (functions), then added effects, then added digital age....WE GET SHITTY USA MIXERS... its a shame...

    can somebody make a pioneer, vestax, rane that sounds like a bozak?
    can somebody make a bozak that has a crossfader?
    can somebody make a mixer that sounds good w digital and analog (allen heath DB4 but still no one buys em in the usa)

    CAN WE DECIDE ON A MIXER IN THE USA AS ONE GROUP OF DJS????

    the being said, I'm taking recommendations on buying a mixer, top of line budget, for mixing house and hip hop style
    Last edited by padi_04; 07-28-2016 at 08:54 AM.

  2. #2
    Tech Guru DJAdeSands's Avatar
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    Why not use 'American Audio'!?



    Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
    Denon DJ/MC6000KMK2/Launchpad S/LaunchcontrolXL/Traktor Pro 2/Bringin it since 96.

  3. #3
    Tech Guru SlayForMoney's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by FatMan Skank View Post
    the being said, I'm taking recommendations on buying a mixer, top of line budget, for mixing house and hip hop style
    X1700 or Rane Empath
    Denon X600 - 2x Denon SC-2000 - AKG K181DJ - NI Audio 2

  4. #4
    DJTT Administrator del Ritmo padi_04's Avatar
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    Not sure why you call them Shitty USA Mixers when most of the brands you mention aren't even based or built in the US (Rane got bought so scratch it out too). The most common brands are totally capable of building a top notch mixer but when people aren't willing to pay the price tag attached to it it's basically what leaves us standing where we are now. Rotaries are tied to audiophile circles and prices get inflated as a result.

    From my experience and people around me the DB2 and DB4 were awesome on paper but they were riddled with firmware issues on the earlier days and it's why most people stay away now.

    Btw, have you tried the new DJM-900NXS2? It's quite an upgrade in sound quality comparing it with the old model (which along the Xone:92 are the current industry standards)
    Last edited by padi_04; 07-28-2016 at 09:10 AM.

  5. #5
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    The reason sound quality has gotten worse on modern DJ mixers is largely because price points have gotten lower. So even "high end" companies now need to make sure their build cost is low enough that everyone makes their margin - AND the product is priced low enough that consumers will buy their products. Companies that don't follow that model end up in either the niche market (like E&S), or their DJ division is subsidized by other more profitable divisions (like A&H, RCF, or pre-spinoff Pioneer). And if they don't have either of those 2 things going for them, then they end up like Rane (who was recently purchased by InMusic).

  6. #6
    Tech Mentor ragverp's Avatar
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    Picked a db4 up(brand new state) for 1100 euro's...seriously take a look at this baby, drivers are good now for both mac and windows...
    Allen & Heath DB4, Xone K2, 2x Native instrument D2
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  7. #7
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    Ehh what

    Rane MP2014 + Tube Amp = WTF Uber tightness & Other World of dynamic range :-)

  8. #8
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    As mentioned above the 900NXS2 is a nice bump in quality, and I'm loving some of the tweaks Pioneer has made from the previous model (high, mid, low FX application, etc.). Good stuff!

  9. #9
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    Really it is a good bump and I want to order this one. Think that the company provides the best service ever!

  10. #10
    Tech Guru the_bastet's Avatar
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    Necrobump. Jesus. Had Fatman Skank even posted since this thread?
    - Equipment - 2X Technics 1200, 2X Audio Technica ATLP1240, 2X XDJ700, 2X XDJ1000 MK2, Denon DNX-1100, Mixars DUO, DJM750 MK2, NI Audio 10, NI Aduio 4, Serato SL3, 4X Shure M44-7, 2X Ortofon Pro S, 2X Numark Groove Tool, Maschine MK3, Samson Carbon 49, Roland SE-02, Novation Launchcontrol, TouchOSC, Nocation Peak, Arturia MiniBrute, Korg Volca Kick, MicroKorg (Classic), NI Komplete Audio 6

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